Duties, schmuties
by StylishChocobutt
Summary: An argument with his father leaves Noctis escaping the Citadel for time away from his duties; and who better to do that with than Prompto? - He wasn't entirely sure where he was going; after all he'd left the Citadel in a flash of blue, warping over the surrounding wall in order to pull his little escape. It was just… Suffocating. -
1. Escapism

**Told you all I'd start off a highschool era fic! Here's the beginnings of god-knows-what. Who knows where I'll go with this, but it was a load of fun to write!**  
 **Tell me what you think! :D**

 **Thanks to The_Asset6 (Archiveofourown) for the title!**

Duties, schmuties.

It had been nothing but a _stupid_ argument.

Thunder rumbled across the sky of Insomnia; as if Ramuh himself had opened the heavens and let the rain fall forth. Each roar of sound was preceded by a bright flash of lightning that forked and snaked its way across the clouds in an unrelenting anger. The streets beneath his boots were sodden and dotted with puddles, leaving the Crown Prince Noctis to carefully pick his route as to best avoid getting wet socks. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going; after all he'd left the Citadel in a flash of blue – warping over the surrounding wall in order to pull his little escape. It was just…

 _Suffocating._

Wherever he went, duty followed. It had been that exact duty that had left him stood in an audience chamber with his father, explaining why he'd failed to look over the reports Ignis had brought to his apartment earlier that evening. The warping may have been a little excessive as he lived in the high-rise flats of Insomnia's suburbs, yet his father had demanded that he spend the evening in the confines of his room completing the pile of papers he was already over-due on. Instead, he'd slipped out of the view of his trailing Kingslaive – much to the man's annoyance, he was sure – and had made a grand escape over the Western side of the Citadel.

Now, however, he was left walking the streets wandering where to go next. Pulling his phone free from his pocket, he flicked the screen up before noting the number of texts and missed calls already. There was only one name that wasn't apparent on the screen; the one person who wouldn't force him into his duties: Prompto.

Noctis had only visited Prompto's house twice before. Once, to briefly pick up a spare set of clothing before the two had spent the night at his own apartment and secondly a few months later when the blonde had neglected to turn up to school for a few days, leaving Noctis no other choice than to quite literally stalk him. Both events had occurred almost a year ago at the beginning of their friendship. Or well, renewed friendship. Though Prompto was never keen to discuss the fact it was actually the second time they'd met.

Scrolling through his contact list, he opened up Prompto's message tab.

 _[18:03] Busy?_

He halted in his steps as he hit the send button, briefly ducking under a bus shelter to avoid the onslaught of rain. Noctis had been so frustrated during his escape from the Citadel that he'd neglected to think of the practicalities; and that included forgetting to grab a coat. Here he was, drowning in his own school uniform.

The reply was almost instant.

[18:04] Prom: Not really. Doing that homework. Sup?

Noctis let his fingers linger over the keypad for a moment before shoving his phone back into his pocket. If Prom was doing his homework then chances were he was at home. All he needed was somewhere quiet to hide out for a while; to pretend he was just like any other teenager and didn't have the weight of the city bearing down on his shoulders. He just didn't want to attempt to verbalise that nor put it into words on his phone. Resuming his walk through the pouring rain, he continued to make his way through the city in the general direction of Prompto's house. As he walked, however, his phone buzzed a second time. Pulling it free, he glanced lazily over the stream of texts that were coming in.

[18:02] Ignis: I understand that you want some space, but this is not the best time to seek it. Please, let us know where you are Noct.

[18:03] Gladio: Specs is going insane, and rightly so. Pick up your damned phone.

[18:05] Ignis: Just answer my texts, I'm getting in the car now. I'll come and meet you.

[18:08] Prom: Dude, don't text then fall silent on me now.

[18:08] Gladio: Start answering, kid. This isn't funny. Get your arse back to the Citadel.

[18:09] Prom: Ignis just called. Don't tell me you're actually out in that rain, like, drowning much?

A sigh left his lips as the messages continued to pop through; though the sound itself surprised him as it was interrupted by shivers and chattering teeth. In hindsight, grabbing a coat would have been a life-saving decision. Pushing his phone back into his pocket, he continued to wander the streets for a good twenty more minutes or so before finally rounding a corner and almost walking head-first into a passer-by. Hands stuffed into his pockets, and head down, Noctis was more than ready to mutter an apology and keep walking when a familiar voice stopped him.

"Duuude. You're like, totally soaked. Practically fish-level soaked." The rain above him stopped abruptly as Prompto Argentum stood before him, now holding a bright-yellow chocobo print umbrella over the two of them; looking at him with a mixture of amusement and concern touching his expression. Amusement at seeing the Crown Prince looking like a drowned rat, but concern for seeing him shivering against the cold.

Noctis shrugged, avoiding the concerned gaze by focusing his attention on the brickwork of the wall aside them. "Didn't have time to grab a coat."

"Well, planning a not-so-secret escape will do that to ya." Prompto remarked, still holding his gaze on the shivering Prince. "Well, my place ain't far. Not as fancy as yours, but certainly lacking in obligations, right?"

Noctis wasn't stupid. The only reason he'd walked into Prom was because the blonde had gone out looking for him knowing full well he was on his way to his house; but it was endearing to see him skirting around the obvious topic as to why Noct had snuck out of the Citadel in the first place. It was as if he was an open book in front of the bumbling blonde.

"Yeah." His response was simple enough, and certainly didn't cover the points that the blonde had just raised. But it was enough. The two began to wander towards Prompto's house in relative silence; asides from where the blonde would occasionally hum an RPG tune under his breath or point out some pointless fact or another about the area.

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach the small house in the suburbs. It was rather quaint and homely in comparison to his own intimidating apartment; which he'd never have been able to get up to in one piece if it wasn't for a convenient elevator. Stepping up to the porch, Prompto closed the umbrella before setting it aside and opening the door. It always struck Noctis odd that the blondes parents were never around; but from experience he'd learned not to mention it. It was clearly an awkward topic and wasn't something he was going to pry out of his only friend. His only friend that didn't demand he take his responsibilities seriously every second of every day.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Prompto staring at him; waiting for him to step inside. Which… He hastily did so upon realising his distracted state. Nevertheless, the blonde didn't comment on it.

"There's some uh.." Prompto trailed off for a moment, before continuing and significantly brightening in composure. "There's some spare clothes in the bathroom draw, and feel free to use the shower. Unless you prefer looking like a drowned chocobo?"

"Look who's talking." Noctis smirked, stepping forward and attempting to land a ruffle on the blondes tuft of chocobo-butt styled hair. He missed as the blonde darted backwards, throwing a towel towards him; which he caught easily.

Defensively, Prompto brushed a hand through his hair. "Dude! It like, looks nothing like a Chocobo's butt!"

"Sure does." Noct called back as he made his way over to the stairs; the same smirk plastered on his lips.

"Does noooooot!" Came the familiar whine from the kitchen.

Despite his only occasional visits to Prompto's house, he was already familiar enough with the layout of the building to meander his way easily to the bathroom. Shivers still wracked his body lightly from the downpour outside; but the heat of the house was certainly warming him up fast. Stepping into the bathroom, Noctis pulled the door shut behind him before setting the towel down on the cupboard and stripping away his sodden clothes. His phone continued to vibrate against the pile of clothes; finally making him give in and pull it free from the trouser pocket.

[18:42] Ignis: Your Highness, this is serious. You're not at your apartment, where are you? I'd rather not call the Crownsguard to hunt you down.

Noctis very briefly considered tapping in an eventual reply to that threat; though figured he still had a few more hours before Ignis finally lost it enough to act on it. If he told him where he was, the advisor would be here within moments and frankly Noct just wanted a few, _just a few_ , hours to himself and Prompto; away from the constant duties, expectations, and arguments. He didn't dare turn his phone off, and thus resorted to setting it against the counter as he stepped into the shower. Leaning forward to turn the dial on, he tilted his head back as the cascade of warm water fell upon him; easing both his mind and his aching muscles from the cold walk.

Rainy days were the worst. Those were the days where could feel the tightness of the skin on his back from old scars; the days where his leg had a constant ache to it and threatened to give out entirely if pushed to its limit. He spared a brief glance back at the foggy reflective tiles behind him, catching sight of the two faint lines that ran across his back diagonally. They were jagged and an ugly reminder that his royalty cost people their lives. Water continued to flow down his body as he turned his attention back to the shower above; raising both hands to run them through his hair and against his face- muffling a groan of irritation under his palms.

Just one evening. _Just one._

After a good few minutes, Noctis stepped free of the shower and dried himself. Shrugging into Prompto's spare clothes – which were slightly baggy on him – he grabbed his phone before making his way down the stairs. The smell of cup noodles was all too familiar; something Prompto constantly berated him about eating and yet a glance into the kitchen was enough for him to catch sight of the blonde pouring water into two of them. He was far too engulfed in humming a Kings Knight victory tune to notice Noctis' re-entry, and so he instead made his way over to the couch before lying down on it and stretching out. Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift easily for a few moments; even nearly to the point of succumbing to sleep, when Prom spoke up from the kitchen.

"TV remotes on the table if you want to stick something on, buddy."

Opening his eyes and making a grab for the object in question, Noct flicked the TV on and began to scan lazily through the channels as Prompto came over with the two filled noodle cups. He settled himself down on the floor with his back against the soft the Prince was currently led across, though waved his hand dismissively as Noct tried to budge up for him.

"Looks like you need it more than I do. Anything good on?"

"Bunch of cooking programs."

"Sweet, you might actually learn something on one of those, pal!" Prom chimed, laughing.

"Like what?"

"Like 'how to not burn the apartment down with toast'? Or 'plastic doesn't go in the microwav- mmph!"

He was rather abruptly cut off as Noct reached to shove a cushion against his face, a wide smirk stretching across his expression. "What was that? I can't hear you over the pillow."

"Plas-mmf! Micr-mm, mmf!"

"Still can't hear you, Prom."

It was at that point Prompto actually had the sense to duck away from the pillow-lock, practically landing on his back against the floor as he pouted childishly up at Noctis.

"Dude! Totally not fair! You can't use my own furniture against me!"

"Why not? I _am_ the Prince. You're disrespecting my cooking skills." There was a slight twinge in his gut at using his title, even in jest.

"Or lack of!"

The cushion flew into Prompto's face.

"Honestly, you're committing treason right here." Noctis continued, unable to keep the grin from slipping onto his expression at the feigned look of hurt Prom pulled in hearing his words.

"Should really get you some cooking lessons with Iggy, can only improve, right?" Prompto laughed, setting the previously thrown cushion in his lap. The look on Noct's face caused his own smile to falter. Oops. The moment the words had come out of his mouth he'd been reminded of exactly why his best friend was sat in his house to begin with. Ignis was just a sore reminder of it.

"Oh uh, sorry." He stammered, sheepishly rubbing a hand against the back of his neck as he averted his gaze.

Noctis' attention had already drifted back to changing channels on the TV; his expression far more solemn than it had been a few seconds before hand. "It's fine." He muttered, feigning interest on one of the news channels reporting on Insomnia's upcoming carnival.

It really wasn't fine, and even Prompto could see that. Instead of pushing the matter further though, the blonde retrieved his cup noodle from the side and began to chow down on it. Noctis carried on flicking through the news channels, pausing only briefly on a clip of his Father visiting one of the newly erected hospitals in the lower distract. His gaze lingered on the cane; the cane he'd only found out about a few months prior. The Crystal was taking it's toll; a stark reminder that his life at the moment was ticking away until everything would be uprooted and sent straight to hell-

"-oct? You listening, pal?" Prompto cut into his thoughts. Oops. No, he hadn't been. He flicked the channel over to something random before looking down at the blonde.

"Yeah?"

"I said you can stay here for the night if y'want. I know it's not that fancy, or spacious-.. Or great at all really, but-"

"Thanks." Noct nodded, not letting him finish his little ramble. Reaching for his phone, he glanced down at the stream of messages; furrowing his brow as the threats of deploying the Crownsguard only increased in number. Absently, he opened Ignis' messaging tab and tapped in a reply.

 _[19:48] At Prom's. No need to panic._

The reply was almost instant. He could just imagine Ignis staring at his own phone screen intently.

[19:48] Ignis: I'm coming to get you. This is hardly appropriate behaviour, Noctis.

 _[19:48] Pick me up tomorrow after school. I'm crashing here, and I'll walk to school with Prom in the morning._

Noct didn't bother waiting for a reply to that one. He'd be damned if he was being dragged back to the Citadel at this hour. Prompto had fallen silent; but there was no doubt the blonde had noticed his expression whilst reading the texts – he just knew better than to bring it up. Something Noctis was surprisingly thankful for. Continuing to flick the channels, he eventually settled on some obscure cartoon about a talking sponge before relaxing against the cushions of the sofa.

It didn't take long for his eyes to begin to feel heavy; the cold of the rain and sudden warmth of the shower was enough to wreak havoc on his already exhausted body. Warping out of the Citadel hadn't helped his situation either. Gladio would be proud of him successfully pulling a warp off without throwing his guts up; though perhaps not so proud that he'd done so whilst breaking rules. Closing his eyes, he told himself he'd allow a five-minute rest. Of course, it wasn't long before he was enveloped in the familiar sensation of sleep.

Prompto glanced back at the slumbering Prince on the sofa and chuckled. Noct was definetly out for the count; leaving the blonde to grab his own yellow-toned phone from the table. Sure enough, Ignis had tried contacting him the moment he'd realised where Noctis had hidden out. Unknown to Noctis, the three friends had set up a chat together incase of 'emergencies' such as this, which was already flooded of Ignis panicking and Gladio attempting to pacify the situation.

[18:48] Iggy: He's ceased replying to my texts now. I've half a mind to go over there.

[18:48] Big Guy: Oh sure, that won't start another argument. I know you're pissed he did it on your watch, but just let the kid have a night off.

 _[18:49] He's asleep on my couch, totally out of it. ┐(︶▽︶)┌_

[18:49] Big Guy: See, the kids fine. I'd like to know how the hell he got out of the Citadel without being noticed.

[18:49] Iggy: From what I can establish, he warped over the western wall.

 _[18:50] What, like, teleported? Like in the comics?_

[18:50] Iggy: Yes, like the _comics_.

[18:51] Big Guy: Warped? Hah, remind me to give the kid a slap on the back for managing that.

 _[18:51] What's got him so worked up, anyway?_

[18:52] Iggy: I believe he had a disagreement with his father earlier in the evening, though I am as of yet unsure as to what the topic at hand was this time.

Prompto tapped his fingers against the side of his phone before glancing back at Noct's sleeping form. It wasn't rare for him to fall out with his Father; he had a habit of failing to express what he truly wanted to say and often it could lead to disagreements. He'd learned over the year that with Noct, it was always a case of reading between the lines or examining the silences. Getting to his feet, he absently retrieved one of the spare blankets before throwing it over the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince who was currently led in his sorry-excuse for a living room.

Despite the occasional arguments and run-aways, this had to be the first time Noct had sought out his company at home. Often he'd be left searching the arcades well into the night before coming across the teen; this time had been different and clearly whatever the two had argued about was enough to eat away at him to the point where he actively made a point to try and crash at Prompto's. Sure, he'd offered, but only because he knew it was going to happen anyway. He didn't mind, however.

"Night, bud." The blonde nodded, picking up his empty cup noodle and the untouched one. Setting them down in the kitchen, he made his way up to his room for the night, glancing but once at his phone with the ongoing discussion between Ignis and Gladio.

Princes… will be Princes…


	2. Nightmares

**Weeelcome back!**  
 **So yeah, here's the new chapter! I can't believe I tried writing a fluff fic and it turned into angst.**

"Go back outside the wall where you came from, freak!"

The words cut through the air; accompanied by a stone which struck the back of Prompto's head. Pain seared throughout and white dots darted across his vision from the impact, leaving the young boy to drop the camera he'd been holding to the ground. To the puddle beneath his feet. He blinked in confusion as the device fizzled against the water; the screen turning black as the water spread to its circuits. Slowly, he turned to see who had shouted across the grass at him – words like that had to have been directed at him.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, he peered across at the small gathering of students; some of which he recognized, but the others were entirely unknown to him.

"W-..What?" He stammered, glancing back at his ruined camera before at the group that had begun to advance on him.

"You heard us! Mexir here saw you during Phys Ed – saw that _thing_ on your wrist!" The lead boy smirked, gesturing to the other one who he'd mentioned. Prompto glanced down to his wristband, his breathing significantly increasing.

"Aw, is the baby going to panic?"

"I'm-.. I'm not, I just-.. I.." No good, his breaths were coming too fast for him to form logical thoughts; let alone actual sentences. The world was spinning, and a sick empty feeling was growing in his stomach; eating him up from the inside out-

"Prompto?"

He blinked, registering the familiar voice. It lacked the nickname he'd become accustomed to hearing in that tone; but he turned nonetheless to see Noct stood behind him. The park was gone; his surroundings replaced with a corridor from their school. Strangely, this didn't set off any alarm bells nor did it seem out of place. He found himself stood in the doorway of their classroom, fully dressed in his school uniform and no longer ten years old. No, now he was at the age he should be. Noct had a small frown on his expression, his satchel currently swung over his shoulder as he looked over at the blonde; clearly expecting an answer from before.

"Sorry, bud, zoned out. What's up?" Forcing a smile back onto his features, Prompto grinned away as he spoke.

Noct visibly flinched and recoiled; looking disturbed for a moment.

"I said; you're in my way." He remarked, tone lacking any familiarity. "They teach you to stand in front of Princes where you grew up or something?"

Prompto's grin faltered slightly. "What?" He blinked, not entirely sure he'd heard those words right.

Another student popped their head out from behind Noct, a sickening smirk plastered on their face. "He means move it, outsider."

Outsider?

Noct clearly wasn't in a patient mood, as the Prince stepped forward and pushed Prompto aside before crossing the classroom to sit down at his desk. The two students behind followed, though they were significantly rougher in shoving him aside. That left Prompto stood awkwardly aside the door for a moment before the blonde finally came to his senses enough to step outside of the classroom. He couldn't recall making his way to the bathroom; yet all of a sudden, there he was.

Stood opposite the bathroom mirrors.

Glancing down at his wrist, he carefully removed the slightly frayed wristband from where it constantly sat. Sure enough, he wasn't surprised to see the familiar black ink marking his skin. Even just looking at it made him feel sick; though what was even worse was when he looked up.

 _OUTSIDER._

 _YOU DON'T BELONG HERE._

 _NO ONE WANTS YOU._

The words were scrawled across the mirrors he'd just been looking in; written in bright red ink. Laughter from an unknown source filled his ears as he shakily backed up against the far wall, dropping to sit before pulling his knees up to his chest. Fingers grasped desperately at his hair, as he tugged on the strands and buried his head.

OOOOOOOO

Prompto shot up in bed, clasping a hand almost immediately over his mouth to suppress any noise that threatened to break free from his panic. His chest was heaving against his ragged and frantic breaths; skin slick from sweat despite the cool temperature of his room. It took a few moments for the blondes breathing to slow enough that he trusted himself to pulls his hand away, running it through his slickened hair instead.

Nightmares weren't particularly common for the happy-go-lucky blonde, but when they did occur; boy were they _awful._ His eyes desperately scanned over his wrist; where the material covered the object of his fears. Brushing his fingertips against the worn cotton, he very nearly made a move to remove it to check underneath out of some strange desperation; as if he expected to see unmarked skin.

A movement in the doorway stopped him.

Noct stood awkwardly there; which was surprising in its own considering the hour. He was still dressed in Prompto's clothes, which hung loosely from his form. Had he really been loud enough to wake the guy who could slumber through a Behemoth stampede? The thought of it only made him feel worse, and made him worry at whether he'd managed to _say_ anything aloud. No, there was no look of disgust on the Prince's expression, only concern and indecision.

"Damn, pal. Sneaking around in the shadows like that, could give a guy a heart attack." Prompto joked, though his words were strained and lined with exhaustion. They certainly hadn't come out in the humorous manner he'd intended.

The smallest of smirks touched Noct's lips, barely visible in the darkness. "Sorry." He murmured before moving forward into the room and offered out a glass of water towards Prompto; who accepted it. As he gulped the contents down, relishing the cool and refreshing feeling against his currently sore throat, he spared a glance back up at Noct. The raven-haired male was busying his gaze by glancing over the various photograph that littered his room, no doubt to avoid making the situation any more awkward. He was trying to help, in his own way, and it was endearing to see his buddy worried. Finishing off the water, Prompto set the glass aside before grinning – and truly grinning this time – up at Noctis. It was a tired grin, but at least it felt genuine.

"Guess I woke ya?" Prompto suggested, despite how obvious the answer was. He wasn't going to discuss the reasons why; and doubted Noct would ask either. It was true that sound carried easily through the thin walls in the house.

He received a shrug in response as Noctis glanced back down at him. "No big deal. Bad dream?"

Or… Maybe he would.

Prompto shifted awkwardly under the weight of the question, crossing his legs under the warmth of the blanket. Silently, he wished he hadn't downed the water in one go; as merely the reminder of the dream was enough to dry his throat out. Still, he waved a hand dismissively and laughed.

"Should'a seen it. Dreamt we were both at school, and I managed to drop our reports into a _huge_ puddle. Like, we're talking lake-size puddle here!"

Noct scoffed, shaking his head. The tension in the room eased slightly. He still stood above the bed, but was turned slightly towards the window at the far end of the room where moonlight spilled through.

"So yeah, there's me trying to fish these papers out of the muck, and you show up with this _fishing pole."_

"Let me guess. I fished them out of the puddle." Noct supplied, still smirking.

Prompto paused, before huffing. "Duuuuude, don't ruin the ending! Besides, you missed a bit. You didn't fish those reports up, it was some kind of _huge_ centipede thing." Thank god for imagination, he was literally making this up on the spot and trying to sell it convincingly. Apparently, it was working, as Noct grimaced at the idea of fishing up bugs.

"Anyway! This thing is massive! And we end up in some epic fight, like one in Kings Knight! But yeah, it was terrifying, so I guess that's why I freaked out. Sorry, bud."

"You're telling me you woke me from my sleep... Because of a centipede?" Noct clarified, an eyebrow risen in the blonde's direction.

"A _giant_ centipede."

"I guess they are pretty gross."

"All icky and stuff, totally, dude. Should have seen it." Prompto chuckled, shaking his head.

"Suddenly glad I didn't."

"Thanks though, sorry I woke you."

"Like I said, no big deal." Noct nodded, seemingly entirely oblivious to Prompto's long make-believe lie, which the blonde felt horrible about. But the truth would have been worse; he convinced himself. With that, the Prince made his way back out of the bedroom and Prompto was left alone to his own devices once more. Carefully, he pulled back the wristband and peered down through the darkness at the lines underneath.

It had just been a dream. One bad dream.

He wasn't entirely sure of the origins of the mark; only that it meant two things. Firstly, he'd been born outside of Lucis – though exactly where, he didn't know – and had been adopted at an early age. He couldn't recall life from before living in Insomnia, and at the same time he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He'd seen enough on the news about territories under threat from the Empire; how people constantly lived in fear unlike those who resided in the safety of the Wall. That wasn't a life he wanted to remember; but that didn't mean the fact he was an outsider didn't haunt him. When he'd been younger, a few children had found out and taunted him for it – but a change of schools to a different district had solved that issue; plus he'd been far more cautious from then on to make sure he kept his wristband on at all times. Secondly, he couldn't tell anyone. He didn't want to think about what people would say if the Crown Prince of Lucis was hanging around with an outsider; even the Kingsglaive were looked down upon – so what hope did the bumbling blonde have?

Lying to Noctis had left him with a sick feeling in his stomach, and just as he had in the dream, he brought his knees up to his chest and sighed. He wished he could say something, but he couldn't risk seeing the same expression that dream-Noct had worn on his _real_ best friends face.

Glancing over at the clock on his bedside table, the digits clearly read 04.30. Usually he was up and ready an hour from now; usually so he could fit his run in before school.

Pushing his duvet aside, Prompto grabbed a towel and a fresh set of clothes from the pile of fresh laundry, as well as his phone, before padding quietly down the hall to the bathroom at the end. Shrugging free of his clothes; which were slightly gross anyway considering the state he'd woken up in and setting the phone on the side he stepped up into the shower and turned the faucet on. Hot water flowed free from the shower head above, washing away the panic induced sweat he'd been caked in; leaving him feeling far more refreshed and significantly less paranoid. Running his hands through his hair, he pushed it back before grabbing the bottle of shampoo and squirting the contents onto his hand. Rubbing that into his hair, and rinsing it through, he quickly washed before switching the dial back off again and retrieved the towel.

It didn't take long for him to pull on the fresh set of clothes. He hoped Noct was asleep- the chocobo print across the shirt was something you were more likely to see on a child's set of pjamas than a grown man's running shirt. Carefully and quietly he made his way downstairs and flicked one of the low-light lamps on to avoid tripping over his own feet.

Sure enough, the Prince was back to being sprawled out across the couch. The quiet yet audible intake and exhale of even breaths was enough for Prompto to deduce that he had fallen back to sleep. It wasn't surprising, but still brought a small grin to the blonde's lips as he made his way over to the door. Tugging his trainers on, he cast one glance back at the slumbering Prince before stepping outside into the early light of morning. Pulling his phone free from his pocket, he glanced through the older messages.

[21:02] Iggy: Well, I'll pick him up after school as he's suggested then. Perhaps the space will clear his head.

[21:03] Big Guy: Just make sure he's not late for training. Can't have him getting any scrawnier.

The messages continued on until around midnight, when clearly Gladio had fallen asleep. Closing the chat and opening the one with Noct, he tapped in a quick message.

 _[05:02] Hey dude! Just heading out for a run! If you wake up before I get back, there's bread in the cupboard. Try not to burn my house down with the toaster, kay?_

With that, he set off in a light jog. The run in the mornings was always a pleasant one; it took him through the nicer parts of his neighbourhood and even few a couple of parks – where on more than one occasion he stopped to fuss dogs out on their early morning walk. Many of these dogs recognized him each time he came to pat them, some even going as far as to rolling over for belly scratches. The owners were always pleasant enough and provided a good bit of morning conversation. On from there, he continued to the deeper parts of the City; allowing him to get a good view of how the morning sun shone across the buildings of Insomnia, how the crystal's light danced between the clouds within the ever-protecting barrier that kept their city from harm. It was at this time in the morning where citizens were beginning to set up their shops for the day ahead, dragging signs and promotional content outside onto the streets to entice customers in. Ordinarily, he'd have gone far enough to see the overpowering and yet beautiful might of the Citadel – but with thoughts of the previous nightmare, and the fact the Crown Prince was unattended in his house, he turned back early.

It was nearly 7:00am by the time Prompto finally reached his house; he'd have been quicker, but the fluffy Pomeranian in the park had stolen his heart.

Stepping inside and kicking his trainers free from his feet, he was unsurprised that his saunter into the living room greeted him with the _still_ slumbering Prince. He was sprawled out awkwardly across the sofa in a position that honestly couldn't be doing much for his back. The blanket still half hung on his body, and his breathing came in shallow yet calm intakes of air. As serene as he looked, they only had an hour to get ready and get out of the house for school. That left him with the ultimate challenge of the day.

How to wake Noctis effectively without putting him in a sour mood for the rest of the day.

First attempt: the alarm.

Fiddling with his phone and setting an alarm for ten seconds, Prompto ramped up the volume before standing infront of Noct.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

He placed the phone right next to Noct's ear.

Two.

One.

 _BRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNGGGGG_

The alarm sounded with a near deafening resonance – one which left Prompto using his free hand to clasp over an ear in an attempt to drown the noise out slightly. Despite having the option to have picked one of his favourite RPG tunes, he'd opted for the most obnoxious, annoying and loud sound he could find. Noct raised one hand to try and shove the device away from his ear, groaning out a complaint before turning over and putting his back to the blonde.

"Oh no you don't! C'mon, up you get!"

With that, Prompto stole the blanket next and leaned over to press the phone against Noct's cheek – now annoying him with both the sound, and the irritating vibration. This should have worked, alas, he was only met with further resistance as the Prince lazily reached a hand back to retrieve a pillow before shoving it in Prompto's general direction which he easily dodged.

"Five more minutes..." Came a barely audible groan after the attack. A pause. "Do we even have to go?"

The alarm ran out and Prompto ceased his bugging as he looked over at the Prince in bewilderment. Had he just suggested _cutting class_? Prompto was usually the one dragging him off away from lessons to the arcade, not the other way around. So, hearing the question only furthered his concern for what had brought Noct to his house in the first place.

"Uh yeah, buddy. School's kind of mandatory." The blonde chuckled, though concern lined his usually humoured tone. Even if they did skip, surely Noct was aware just how much trouble that would land the two of them in with Ignis. Hell, even with the King. Still, the blonde couldn't help but notice how the not-so-slumbering Prince's hand was clenched against one of the pillows, his face turned purposely away from Prom. To say the behaviour was unusual was an understatement.

Noct didn't offer a response, nor did he make a move to get up.

Oh Six, he was going straight to hell for this. Or Prison. Or maybe they'd just exile him?

"Tell ya what, think I've got some sweet games tucked away somewhere that I haven't played yet." Prompto suggested, despite his better judgement.

"Sounds good." Came a muffled response as Noct finally sat up. To say the Prince looked tired was doing the word tired an injustice. He looked knackered. Had he even slept the night before? It certainly would explain how he'd heard Prompto's discomfort from the nightmare. Making his way back to the kitchen, he began to busy himself with placing bread in the toaster; keeping a keen ear open as waited.

Eventually Noct made his way upstairs, and the blonde could hear the tell-tale sounds of the shower.

Prompto grabbed his phone.

 _[07:08] Say, Iggy…_

[07:08] Iggy: Yes, Prompto? Why do I feel like I'm not going to like what comes next?

 _[07:09] How much trouble would I be in, if say… Hypothetically, of course! If I encouraged, well, no, er… If I agreed to… I don't know how to word this._

[07:09] Big Guy: Here it comes.

Prompto paused for a moment, staring at the keys before finally deciding to just be blunt about it.

 _[07:10] Noct and I are skipping school today._

A minute passed, no reply.

Two minutes.

Finally, his phone buzzed and Prompto nearly dropped the device in the sink.

[07:11] Iggy: On a scale of 1 to 10, we're talking 11. Or 12. Do I really need to explain why such would be such a bad idea, in both my own eyes and those of his father?

 _[07:11] C'mon Iggy! All you have to do is pick up the absence call yourself and no one would know!_

[07:12] Big Guy: Hah! Look at this kid, breaking the rules! Prompto, you're supposed to be a _good_ influence on his Royal Lazyness.

 _[07:12] I know, I know! He just seems like, real down still about yesterday. I don't think he slept either._

[07:13] Big Guy: Noctis? Not sleeping? I don't know Iggy, this does sound unusual.

[07:13] Iggy: I'll agree it does sound peculiar. That, and his rather spontaneous leave from the Citadel. Very well. _One_ day, Prompto. Do me a favour and persuade him to at least return to his apartment by the evening.

[07:14] Big Guy: Tell him I expect to see him tomorrow for training, I'll let it slide today.

 _[07:15] Thanks guys! I'll totally make sure he's back at his place tonight!_

With that, Prompto set his phone back on the side and plucked the toast from the toaster. He let his gaze wander to the stairs as his ears picked up the continuous sound of the shower; his thoughts drifting to the night prior and how Noct had clearly been awake for the majority of it.

Munching on the toast in his hand, he felt an unease in his stomach form with concern for his pal. Perhaps a day of gaming would get some answers out of him.


End file.
